Author: Arit Banerjee
Situated at the southern tip of the US state of New York, New York City is the most populous city in the US. The Big Apple is home to 20 million people. A cultural and financial hub which is at the forefront of tourism, technology, fashion and sports. The five boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island constitute the city of New York.
The Dutch settled on the Manhattan Island in 1614 and formed a city in 1625 which came to be known as New Amsterdam. 39 years later New Amsterdam was seized by the English from the Dutch and was named in the honor of James, Duke of York.
This article looks at quintessential New York but excludes the usual tourist sites of NYC.
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QUINTESSENTIAL NYC ATTRACTIONS
18. ★ Visit General Grant National Memorial
Located in Morningside heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan and very close to Columbia University, the Grant National Memorial is in honor of the 18th president of United States, Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia Grant. Mr. Grant was also one of America’s most brilliant and celebrated military leaders. If you have some more time to explore, visit the nearby Riverside church conceived by businessman John D. Rockefeller, and also take a stroll in the nearby Riverside Park.
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| Grant Memorial, Upper Manhattan |
17. ★ Watch a Baseball match at the Yankee stadium
Located in Concourse neighborhood in Bronx, the Yankee stadium is home to the New York Yankees. Baseball is widely regarded as NYC’s most popular sport. NYC is home to two teams: the New York Yankees and New York Mets. The Yankees played the American league since 1903. Attend the most intense rivalry between the Yankees and Boston Red Sox in one of the most historic and fiercest of all North American professional rivalries.
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| New York Yankees vs Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium, Bronx |
16. ★ Take a ride to Staten Island from Lower Manhattan and back in Staten Island Ferry
The Staten Island Ferry is a passenger ferry which operates 24X7 from Whitehall terminal on Whitehall street in Lower Manhattan to St. George Terminal in St. George, Staten Island. It is best to visit during non-rush hour with boats leaving every 30 minutes (15-20 minutes during peak hour). If you ask me, you must take the ferry ride at sunset and watch the sun in backdrop with the Statue of Liberty. Don’t forget to take your camera!
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| Statue of Liberty at sunset clicked from Staten Island Ferry |
Located on Broadway and West 43rd street in Times Square, Hard Rock Cafe boasts of a unique collection of rock and roll memorabilia. See from close the guitars used by Linkin Park, Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Bob Dylan. You would also want to visit some other places in Times square including M&M’s world, Disney Store, PlayStation Theatre and Planet Hollywood. Watch a movie in the busiest movie theatre in the United States, AMC Empire 25 on 42nd street.
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| Guitar played by John Lennon/Bob Dylan in display at Hard Rock Café, Times Square |
14. ★ Witness the Christmas Tree lighting at Rockefeller Center
Located just beside the Rockefeller Plaza between west 48th and 51st streets and fifth and sixth avenues in Midtown Manhattan, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is erected annually in mid-November. The lighting usually takes places on a Wednesday after Thanksgiving. But I will warn you that if you don’t like crowds this isn’t your place to be. According to a census by the Rockefeller Center, as many as a half a million people visits to see the tree during December every single day.
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| Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, Manhattan |
13. ★ Experience 4th of July fireworks
Watch the spectacular annual Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks over the East river from Seaport District and Brooklyn Bridge Park. Although the fireworks first lit up the sky on 1958, the annual celebration began on 1976 to mark the 200th anniversary of American Independence.
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| Macy’s fireworks shot from Brooklyn Bridge Pier 5 |
12. ★ Take a ride in cable car from Manhattan to Roosevelt Island
The Roosevelt Island Tramway connects Upper East Side of Manhattan to Roosevelt Island. Roosevelt Island is a narrow strip of island within the East River and lies east of Manhattan and west of Queens. The cable car began its operation in 1976 and carries daily commuters from Manhattan to RI and back. It needs the same MetroCard that you use for riding the NYC Subway. It will bring you sheer delight to view the concrete jungle of UES Manhattan and also the East River while you are taking the ride.
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| Roosevelt Island Cable Car shot from Rockefeller University, Manhattan |
11. ★ Be a part in a demonstration at Washington Square Park and enjoy a basketball match in ‘The Cage’
Located in Greenwich village in Lower Manhattan, Washington Square Park has for a long time been a hub for culture, protests, demonstrations and politics. If you are litterateur, you will be amazed to know that Robert Louis Stevenson met Mark Twain in this very park. From A. C. Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada to Barack Obama the park has seen the best of people campaigning for their rallies. Also visit the public athletic venue West Fourth Street Courts or ‘The Cage’, which is at a stone’s throw away from WSP, for some brisk and tough amateur basketball.
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| Washington Square Park in Manhattan during Pride Month |
10. ★ City of Photography
NYC is a photographer’s paradise. From the Brooklyn Bridge and Dumbo to Central Park, the city has no dearth of photogenic spots. Some of the places which are my absolute favorite were the Flatiron district, Hudson River Park, East River State Park and Brownstones in Brooklyn. If you are into street portraits, NYC should be a heaven for you. What better way to create magic than with your camera!
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| Riverside Park and View of Upper and Midtown from west 168th Street in Manhattan |
9. ★ Take a ride in NYC’s backbone, The NYC Subway
NYC Subway, operating 24X7 is one of the oldest, busiest, and largest rapid transit systems in the world. Swipe a magnetic stripe MetroCard to enter the subway system. The subway has been portrayed in popular culture time and again from Beauty and the Best to Spiderman to Grand Theft Auto to Money Train. Also follow the Instagram page @subwaycreatures for some laughs.
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| NYC Subway Advertisements |
The observation deck atop the Rockefeller plaza is termed as ‘Top of the Rock’. Although currently the plaza is the 28th tallest building in the NYC, it offers (at least according to me) the best bird’s eye view of NYC. It doesn’t have such long waiting times as the Empire State Building. Visit around sunset, and see views of the Central Park, Upper East and West Sides, George Washington Bridge, Midtown and Empire State Building, Lower Manhattan and New Jersey.
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| Views of Uptown and Downtown from Top of the Rock observation deck |
7. ★ Visit the oldest house in Manhattan
Located in Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, the Jumel Terrace Historic district consists of around 50 residential rowhouses built in late 19th century. In picture, The Sylvan Terrace on west 161st Street which leads to the Morris-Jumel Mansion, the oldest house in the borough built in 1765. If you are a history buff, you should also visit Pieter Claesen Wyckoff’s House in Canarsie, Brooklyn as it is the oldest structure in NYC.
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| Sylvan Terrace, Upper Manhattan |
6. ★ Relish the Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy
If you have seen ‘The Godfather’, you might be familiar with this Italian American festival. Commonly known as ‘The Feast of all Feasts’, it was first celebrated in September 1926 when immigrants from Naples settled along Mulberry Street in what is now Little Italy of Lower Manhattan. Originally it used to be a one-day block party for the patron saint and protector of Naples, San Gennaro. But it is now celebrated for 11 days from mid to end of September every year.
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| Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy, Manhattan |
5. ★ Visit a Jewish Synagogue and Katz’s Delicatessen
The Jews of NYC comprise nearly 13 percent of all the city’s population with nearly 1.1 million living in its five boroughs. NYC has more Jews than Jerusalem and Tel Aviv combined. During my work at NYC, I had a Jewish boss and my co-workers were Jewish (who became my best of friends). I visited the Park Slope Jewish Center located in South Slope neighborhood in Brooklyn and which was built in 1925. You should also visit the Temple Emanu-El on Fifth avenue and Central Synagogue on east 55th Street in Midtown. Also visit the legendary Jewish owned Katz’s Deli on Lower East Side to savor some pastrami, hot dogs, corned beef and salami.
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| Park Slope Jewish Center, Brooklyn |
4. ★ Melting pot of Cultures and Food
More than 800 languages are spoken within the city limits of NYC, which is reflected on its food culture. The city has over 27 thousand restaurants spread across its five boroughs. You will be amazed when you visit the borough of Queens because it is the most ethnically and linguistically diverse county on the planet. Let me count the variety of cuisines I tried out during my stay in NYC: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Jamaican, Ethiopian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Indian, Italian, Greek, Jewish, Lebanese, Turkish, Persian, Brazilian, Mexican, Dominican to name a few. Some of the must try ethnic enclaves you should absolutely visit are Chinatown, Koreatown, Harlem, Little Dominican Republic and Little Italy in Manhattan, Little Odessa and Little Poland in Brooklyn, Little Guyana and Little India in Queens, Little Puerto Rico in Bronx and Little Sri Lanka in Staten Island.
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| Raja Sweets, Jackson Heights, Queens (Indian) and Kashmir 9, Manhattan (Pakistani) |
3. ★ Visit the museums of NYC
NYC is the city of museums. There are more than 140 museums in the big apple. Even if you are not a big fan of museums, NYC’s museums are just unmissable. Of all the museums I visited in NYC, some are my absolute favorites: American Museum of Natural History and City Museum of New York. Other unique museums which should be on your bucket list are NY Historical Society, National Museum of the American Indian, Guggenheim museum, Whitney Museum, Museum of Jewish Heritage, Museum of Sex and the 9/11 Memorial Museum.
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| City Museum of New York and American Museum of Natural History, Manhattan |
2. ★ Port Authority metro station and bus terminal, bringing world class music to commuters
If you don’t have the money to attend concerts capable of robbing your pocket, visit Port Authority Metro Station located one block west of Times square and between 40th and 42nd street. The rainbow-colored baby grand piano inside the terminal was installed by an NGO ‘Sing for Hope’ in 2016 to inspire thousands of commuters every single day. From Mozart to Beethoven to Jazz and Rock, you will hear it all in here. So, soothe your mind with the power of music at PA metro station.
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| Port Authority Metro Station, Manhattan |
1. ★ Panorámica de Manhattan, Dumbo, Brooklyn
This is by far my favorite spot in the city. The views of Brooklyn Bridge and the Lower Manhattan skyline with the sound of the waves of the East river makes you forget all your woes. Be it writing the book you had been waiting to write for a long time or sketching a panorama or shooting the perfect hyper lapse or proposing your girlfriend, this is my NYC’s site for all seasons.
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Panorámica de Manhattan, Dumbo, Brooklyn |
The author lived in Manhattan during 2018-2019. The sites mentioned are from his personal experience. He believes that NYC can easily have eighteen thousand sites to visit. There are large parts of Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island he hasn’t visited. But his sole motto was to provide a different, unique and out of box list which he wants everyone to try out when they are visiting the city. All photos were captured by the author himself.
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